Freestyle Ready to Explode onto the 2017 World Tour Before the Next Installment of Warp Speed Slalom

Fuerteventura

Fuerteventura is the next stop on the 2017 PWA World Tour and the next 10 days will see more world class windsurfing. The first 5 days of the Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam (21st-30th July) - sponsored by René Egli - will belong to the contortionists of the windsurfing world as the men’s and women’s freestyle fleet prepare to enter the competition fray for the first time this year, while the following 5 days will see the world’s fastest sailors return to action for the 4th time this season.

Sotavento is located on the Southeast coast of Fuerteventura and has developed a world-class reputation due to its year round sunshine, stunning golden beaches and most importantly, as its name suggests, strong winds, which create some of the most exhilarating conditions on the PWA World Tour. Fuerteventura is one of the most challenging stops on the tour for the freestylers, but it can also be one of the most rewarding when there is a swell running as it produces the perfect stunt ramps for the freestylers to launch into the latest aerial power moves, while the slalom fleet will be reaching for their smallest gear and trying to reach the end of the course unscathed.

Ones to Watch

Freestyle

Women’s

Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) comes to Fuerteventura in search of an unprecedented 10th PWA Freestyle World Championship and the 26-year-old will enter the sole women’s freestyle event of the year as the overwhelming favourite. Offringa sails with style, power and consistency that no one else has managed to rival and it’s hard to see anyone bringing her 9 year unbeaten record to an end.

Sarah-Quita Offringa

However, the standard in women’s freestyle is rising and if someone is to give Offringa a serious run for her money then you’d have to think it will either be the young and talented Maaike Huvermann (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) - who finished last season as the vice-world champion - or Oda Johanne (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) who have the best chance of providing an upset with both improving year on year and starting to land some of the latest power moves.

Maaike Huvermann

Arrianne Aukes (Fanatic / NorthSails / Maui Ultra Fins) will be doing everything in her power to return to the overall podium for the first time since 2013 (injured in 2014) and if she can sail consistently in Fuerte’s choppy waters then she’ll have every chance of doing so, while Russia’s Olya Raskina (JP / NeilPryde) will also be a challenging for the top 4.

Arrianne Aukes

Men’s

Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (Fanatic / NorthSails) produced a superb comeback in the final event of the 2016 season to earn himself an incredible 7th PWA Freestyle World title as he showed his champion winning qualities again while denying Amado Vrieswijk (JP / Severne) a maiden world title. The Venezuelan oozes style and will enter the first event of the season as the narrow favourite, but he’s going to have his work cut out if he wants to make a winning start to his title defence with the aforementioned Vrieswijk coming into the season opener as the defending event champion after an explosive performance last year.

Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo

Vrieswijk is considered one of, if not the brightest spark in the freestyle world right now and it would seem only a matter of time before the 21-year-old gets his hands on his first world title. Will this year be the year? Time will tell, but with only two events there will be absolutely no room for errors.

Amado Vrieswijk

Also in with a serious title shot in the opening event of the year will be the hugely talented Belgian - Yentel Caers (JP / Point-7) - who had a breakthrough season in 2016 as he broke into the world’s top 3 for the first time. The 22-year-old won the single elimination here last year and he’ll be heavily fancied for another deep run this time around.

Yentel Caers

Belgium seems to produce world class freestylers and two former world champions - Dieter van der Eyken (Starboard / Severne) (2015) and Steven van Broeckhoven (JP / NeilPryde / Shamal Windsurfing Sunglasses) (2011) - will be serious threats. Where others seem to falter in Fuerte’s choppy waters, Van der Eyken seems to excel the trickier the conditions get, while van Broeckhoven will be looking to bounce back from a slightly disappointing 2016, which saw the 31-year-old record 3 solid, but unspectacular 9th places.

Dieter van der Eyken

The level on the freestyle tour continues to go through the roof with more radical and crazy stunts being thrown down right throughout the fleet. Other names to look out for include Canada’s Philip Soltysiak (Starboard / Sailworks) - 5th overall for 2016 - and consistently battling it out for the top 10 and beyond.

Philip Soltysiak

Balz Müller (Patrik / Severne) - who is possibly one of the craziest and most innovative sailors on the planet. The Swiss seems to have found a way to channel that energy into winning heats and he’s certainly a sailor you can't take your eyes off when he’s on the water.

Balz Müller

Frenchman Adrien Boston (Fanatic / NorthSails / Maui Ultra Fins) earned two podiums last year and if it wasn’t for a disappointing result here - 17th - then he’d have been challenging for top honours and you’d have to fancy him for a strong display - especially given his success on the European tour, which saw him take the event title in Tarifa, while you can also expect to see fellow countrymen Nicolas Akgazciyan (99NoveNove / Challenger Sails / Maui Ultra Fins), Antony Ruenes (Tabou / GA Sails) and Sam Esteve (JP / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) in the thick of the action.

Antony Ruenes

Of course you can’t talk about freestyle and not mention the other key players from Bonaire - an island that has produced an outstanding crop of freestylers - so you can also expect to see the legendary Frans brother’s - Tonky Frans (RRD / RRD Sails) and Taty Frans (Starboard / GA Sails / Mystic) - Youp Schmit (99NoveNove / Avanti) styling their way into the top 10, while former world champion Kiri Thode should be obvious threat - if he’s fully fit and ready to compete again after missing the final event of the year in 2016, which saw him drop to 17th in the overall rankings.

Tonky Frans

Jacopo Testa (RRD / RRD Sails) has long been considered one of the brightest talents in freestyle and it seems that he is now starting to fill that potential on the competition scene having produced an outstanding comeback at the recent EFPT event in Lanzarote to win the contest ahead of van Broeckhoven and he could be a real contender again if finding that sort of form.

After 5 days of freestyle, the world’s fastest sailors will take their turn in the windsurfing spotlight for their 4th battle of the year. Last year Fuerte produced some of the best racing ever seen, so fingers crossed it can do the same again.

Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde) heads up the rankings coming into Fuerteventura after a great start to the season which saw him claim a convincing victory in Costa Brava and a 3rd place in Japan. The 23-time world champion was untouchable here last year as he tamed Fuerte’s ferocious winds and choppy waters to claim an emphatic victory and he’ll be looking to win his 4th successive event title over the next 5 days.

Antoine Albeau

Reigning world champion - Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Point-7 / Shamal Sunglasses) - and vice-world champion - Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / NorthSails / Chopper Fins) - are currently tied on points in 2nd and 3rd and will be eager not lose any more ground to Albeau - otherwise it would look like a long way back to prevent AA from marching to a 24th world crown. Iachino looked slightly off the pace in Costa Brava and was delighted to make the podium so it will be interesting to see if he has found the formula to unlock the blistering pace he has shown in the last few seasons.

Matteo Iachino

Ross Williams (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic / Shamal Sunglasses) has an excellent record here over the last couple of seasons with a 2nd and a 3rd and the Brit comes into Fuerte perfectly poised in 4th place and ready to challenge for the overall podium again. Williams is usually one of the most consistent sailors and will be hoping to complete a hat-trick of podiums come the end of the event.

Ross Williams

Finian Maynard (99NoveNove / Gun Sails) won here in 2012 and he is seeing his hard work over the winter pay dividends already this season. The 42-year-old shred 10 kilos during the off season and has been rewarded with a 4th place in Japan, while a 13th place in Costa Brava sees him currently sitting in 5th place. If everything clicks into place then Maynard could well emulate the success which brought him that event title in 2012.

Finian Maynard

Argentina’s Gonzalo Costa Hoevel (Starboard / Severne / Chopper Fins) has been very consistent so far this season with 8th and 11th place finishes and with a little more look things could’ve been even better. However, Costa Hoevel didn’t enjoy Fuerte last year as he recorded a disappointing 21st place and he’ll be keen to put those memories behind him.

Gonzalo Costa Hoevel

Julien Quentel (Patrik / Avanti) went from hero to zero in the blink of the eye as he experienced the highs and lows of racing. The man from Saint Maarten sailed brilliantly to win in Japan, but then had a bit of a shocker in Costa Brava where he could only muster a 20th place. Quentel comes into the event 7th in overalls. Can he recapture that form from Japan?

Julien Quentel

France’s Antoine Questel (Starboard / S2Maui) sits in 8th place just ahead of Jordy Vonk (Fanatic / NorthSails) - who is another sailor to have produced in different performances. The 24-year-old earned his first ever podium in Japan before recording a disappointing 21st in Spain.

Of course, there are a whole host of other sailors who are more than capable of breaking into the top 10 and as we have seen already this season there really are no easy heats and almost anyone has the potential to book their place in the winners’ final.

Fuerteventura is famous for its strong winds and the forecast suggests we’ll be competing from the word go and it should be an amazing show - particularly with the possibility of some swell - which should make the freestyle an even more dynamic spectacle. Make sure you stay tuned into www.pwaworldtour.com between 21st-30th July to watch all of the explosive action as it happens via the PWA live stream.

To stay up to date with all the latest developments from Fuerteventura — including the live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page.

The opening day of the 2017 Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam - sponsored by René Egli - began with a bang as freestyle exploded on to the world tour. Fuerte provided the world class conditions it is renowned for - with stunt ramps and strong winds providing the ideal playground for the contortionists of the freestyle world to show what they are capable of and by the end of the first day of competition only the top 4 women and top 8 men remain standing in the single eliminations.

In the women’s fleet, all of the top seeds safely survived their opening heat. First of all Oda Johanne (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) produced a solid display to defeat Birgit Rieger (Flikka), while reigning vice-world champion Maaike Huvermann (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) looked to be in good form as she progressed against Hanna Poschinger (Patrik / Sailloft Hamburg), who was making her debut on the PWA World Tour and won her opening heat against Alexa Escherich (JP / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins). Last year’s world No.2 and No.3 will now face each other in the semifinals.

Maaike Huvermann

In Heat 22a Arrianne Aukes (Fanatic / NorthSails / Maui Ultra Fins) sailed well to navigate her way past a tricky second round heat against Olya Raskina (JP / NeilPryde). The Russian made the brighter start to the heat, but as time progressed Aukes found her rhythm as she put together a fine heat by the end with shakas on both tacks. The 30-year-old now faces a tall order in the semifinal where she will face 9-time freestyle world champion - Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) - who busted out culos, burners and regular konos to post the highest heat of the day - 99.5 points.

Sarah-Quita Offringa

Men’s

Close Call

Antony Ruenes (Tabou / GA Sail) had been in excellent form all day - posting the highest score of the first round - 153.6 points - before narrowly defeating Youp Schmit (99NoveNove / Avanti) in the second round to set up a tie against the current vice-world champion and reigning event champion Amado Vrieswijk (JP / Severne). The Frenchman continued his fine form and by the end of the heat there was just 0.03 of a point between them. Vrieswijk landed a kabikuchi in the dying moments of the heat, which proved pivotal and swung the heat in his favour. Both sailors were missing a move on port tack, so if Ruenes could have landed one of his air chachoo attempts then he would’ve progressed, but now he will have to wait for the double elimination to come back. So, Vrieswijk goes on and will meet Steven Van Broeckhoven (JP / NeilPryde / Shamal Sunglasses) in the quarterfinals.

Antony Ruenes

Man on a Mission

Former world champion - Steven Van Broeckhoven - came out with all guns blazing today as he consistently posted some of the highest scores of the day to win both of heats with ease - dispatching of Loick Spicher (RRD / RRD Sails) and Albert with an explosive repertoire of powerful aerial moves and combos.

Steven Van Broeckhoven

Sailor of the Day

7-time PWA Freestyle World Champion - Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (Fanatic / NorthSails) posted the highest scoring heat of the day proving he means business again this year as he goes on a quest for world title No.8. The Venezuelan racked up 175.3 points against Sam Esteve (JP / NeilPryde) with a combination of radical jumping - stalled forward, air chachoo and a pushloop - as well as pulling off technical combos such as double burners and double culos. Plus he also landed a new combination… a shuvit forward loop, which he punched the air in celebration upon landing.

Gollito Estredo

Upsets

Antoine Albert (Goya Windsurfing) produced the first major upset of the competition as the New Caledonian ended the hopes of Taty Frans (Starboard / GA Sails / Mystic) in the second round with a textbook kabikuchi and a technical spock into kono inflicting the majority of the damage.

Antoine Albert

Heat 19b was always going to be a close heat between Tonky Frans (RRD / RRD Sails) and Dieter van der Eyken (Starboard / Severne) and that’s the way it played out. Originally it looked as though Tonky had booked his place in the next round, but unfortunately for the Bonairean a couple of van der Eyken’s moves had been incorrectly judged, which resulted in the result being overturned and the Belgian will now face Jacopo Testa (RRD / RRD Sails).

Dieter Van der Eyken

Testa came into the event off of recent success in Lanzarote and the Italian carried that confidence and form into today as he clinically dispatched of Davy Scheffers (Tabou / GA Sails), who will be disappointed with his result in the single, before going on to defeat last year’s world No.5 Philip Soltysiak (Starboard / Sailworks) with another impressive display.

Jacopo Testa

Elsewhere, Kiri Thode progressed against Balz Müller (Patrik / Severne), but Müller had his chances to reverse the result. However, he overcooked too many of his moves and was crucially missing a move on port tack. The 2013 world champion will now face Yentel Caers (JP / Point-7) in what should be another pulsating duel.

The forecast looks superb again for tomorrow with the promise of further strong winds and similar stunt ramps as today, which should guarantee a pulsating end to the single eliminations. The skippers’ meeting has been called for 10:30am - with the action commencing from 11am (GMT+1) onwards. Make sure you tune intowww.pwaworldtour.com to watch all of the explosive action as it happens via the PWA live stream.

To stay up to date with all the latest developments from Fuerteventura — including the live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page.

As forecast, Fuerteventura delivered the goods for the second successive day, which enabled the men’s and women’s single eliminations to be completed in even better conditions than yesterday. Over the course of the day, there was plenty of world class action as the world’s best delivered an outstanding show. Come the end of the day though it’s the reigning world champions - Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) and Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (Fanatic / NorthSails) - who head up the event rankings after the 9-time and 7-time freestyle world champions produced superb performances to deservedly win the single eliminations.

Last year’s World No.3 Oda Johanne (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) sailed an excellent semifinal against vice-world champion Maaike Huvermann (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) to book her place in the opening winners’ final of the event. The Norwegian started off in fine form by landing a regular kono before adding a skopu, flaka, shaka and forward loops on both tacks to setup a tie against reigning world champion - Sarah-Quita Offringa.

Oda Johanne makes the final

Winners’ Final

A Worthy Winner

Sarah-Quita Offringa peaked at the perfect moment as she produced her highest scoring heat of the contest in the final - 137.3 points - as she linked together another majestic display. The Aruban gem is going in search of her 10th successive freestyle world title and based on her latest showing it’s hard to see anyone stopping her. In the final Offringa landed an array of the latest power moves - burners, konos, culos - with shakas, air flakas and a massive toad to leave the result in no doubt, while unfortunately Johanne couldn’t scale the heights of her semifinal performance with the Norwegian completely overpowered on 4.0m. In reality, it wouldn’t have made a difference to the result with Offringa posting a score that would have rivalled many of the guys scores in the opening round of the double.

Sarah-Quita Offringa on song

Arrianne Aukes (Fanatic / NorthSails / Maui Ultra Fins) made the brighter start to the losers’ final against Maaike Huvermann, but the current vice-world champion gathered momentum as the heat progressed and a quick flurry of tricks earned her 3rd place in the single and the 19-year-old will now look to fight back in the double elimination.

As expected the winners’ final produced plenty of fireworks with both Gollito and Vrieswijk producing an outstanding aerial display, while also landing the latest combinations as the action went off. Both sailors nailed backloops and spock culos in an evenly matched affair, but it was Gollito who came out on top in their opening clash of the season as he landed an air chachoo, shuvit cheeseroll and shuvit forward loop to gain the upperhand. Even a signature double air culo from Vrieswijk couldn’t prevent the 7-time world champion from winning the single elimination, as crucially, the 21-year-old was missing a move on port tack.

Jose 'Gollito' Estredo

In the battle for third and fourth place Yentel Caers took on Jacopo Testa and for the majority of the heat, it looked as though Caers had the final place on the podium wrapped up after dominating the duel at the beginning. However, as the losers’ final headed towards its climax the Italian found his rhythm and staged a superb comeback to secure a first ever podium and he will now do everything in his power to defend that position in the double elimination. Meanwhile, Caers was extremely disappointed that his bongka was adjudged to be outside the competition area, while he performed one of his best moves, a burner into one-handed burner, when he was out of moves on starboard tack. However, take nothing away from Testa, who has certainly stepped his game up and seems to be starting to fill his potential.

Jacopo Testa fights back

Double Elimination

After the conclusion of the single elimination, the double elimination soon began with the conditions continuing to fire and even in the opening round of the double there were several outstanding displays, which is testament to the level of the current standard on the world tour.

Youp Schmit (99NoveNove / Avanti) was on the wrong-side of a very close heat against Antony Ruenes (Tabou / GA Sails) in just the second round of the double, but he again showed why he is such an exciting and dangerous talent as he produced the highest scoring performance of the first round with a polished display consisting of a pushloop, backloop and radical shifty to name just a few and he will now face 18-year-old Johnny Yagen (RRD / RRD Sails). The Young Israeli sailed out of his skin to defeat Bjorn Saragoza (Starboard / Hot Sails Maui) - who was previously ranked as high as 6th in the world - which marks a disappointing return to the world tour for the Bonairean, but Yagen deserves all the plaudits and was visibly delighted upon hearing the result.

Youp Schmit finds his form

Davy Scheffers (Tabou / GA Sails) was one of the other standouts in the double so far as the Dutchman found his best form to begin his comeback. The highlight being a shifty on the way in and also an air spock - the only person to have landed one.

Davy Scheffers on the road back

Elsewhere, Adam Sims (Patrik / Sailloft Hamburg) produced an excellent jumping display to end the hopes of Julien Mas (JP / Gun Sails), while Italy’s Riccardo Marca (Fanatic / NorthSails / Maui Ultra Fins) looked extremely impressive in Heat 31a with the Italian producing his best heat so far on the world tour.

Adam Sims

Italy’s Giovanni Passani (Tabou / GA Sails / AL360) won an extremely close heat against Japan’s Yuma Kobayashi (Starboard / Severne), which saw the lead change hands on several occasions.

Julian Wiemar (Starboard / Severne) will be ruing not checking his equipment as the German was firmly in contention against Russia’s Yegor Popretinskiy (Fanatic / NorthSails / Maui Ultra Fins) only for a snapped inhaul to ruin his chances of progression. In the final heat of the day, Italian Francesco Cappuzzo (RRD / RRD Sails / AL360) made the most of the diminishing conditions to book his place in the second round and he looks as though he can be a continued threat going forwards.

Francesco Cappuzzo

The forecast looks excellent again for tomorrow which should result in another day of world class freestyle. The skippers’ meeting has been called for 10:30am - with the action commencing from 11am (GMT+1) onwards. Make sure you tune intowww.pwaworldtour.com to watch all of the explosive action as it happens via the PWA live stream.

To stay up to date with all the latest developments from Fuerteventura — including the live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page.

The wind machine continued to blow on Day 3 of the 2017 - sponsored by René Egli - to provide another afternoon of explosive freestyle - although for a time the wind was almost too strong, even leaving the guys completely stacked on 4.0s. By the end of Day 3 a further two rounds of the men’s double elimination have been completed, while Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) remains on course to capture a 10th consecutive PWA Freestyle World Champion after successfully defending her single elimination crown against Maaike Huvermann (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins).

Maaike Huvermann found her stride today as the current vice-world champion, firstly ended the hopes of Arrianne Aukes (Fanatic / NorthSails / Maui Ultra Fins), before exacting revenge against Oda Johanne (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) with quite possibly her best heat so far on the PWA World Tour as she landed a mix of sliding moves and power moves to earn the right to face 9-time PWA Freestyle World Champion - Sarah-Quita Offringa in the winners’ final.

Maaike Huvermann

Winners’ Final

Huvermann produced another fine display in the final as she applied some genuine pressure against Offringa by rotating through a regular kono and a sick shuvit spock, while attempting a culo as she tried to bring all of her tricks to the table, but crucially the 19-year-old was missing a move on port tack, which is quite simply a mistake you can’t afford to make against the freestyle Queen. Offringa, may have been more nervous than usual after seeing Huvermann’s performance in the semifinal, and spending the entire day waiting, but the 26-year-old sailed with her usual swagger and style to keep her unbelievable unbeaten record in tact with a combination of shakas, burners, konos and a text-book toad as the Aruban gem takes another step towards world title No.10.

Sarah-Quita Offringa

Men’s

Double Elimination

Antony Ruenes (Tabou / GA Sails) had to wait until almost the end of the day to sail his sole heat of the day, but when his time arrived the Frenchman produced a performance well worth waiting for as he posted the highest scoring heat of the day - 154.7 points - to end the hopes of Marco Lufen (Fanatic / NorthSails) who had sailed well earlier in the day to defeat Eliran Levi (Tabou / GA Sails / Maui Ultra Fins) and Jeremy Plüss (Tabou / GA Sails). However, the German was powerless to prevent Ruenes marching on his landed a pasko, shifty, air skopu and a trademark no-handed burner and he will now face Antoine Albert (Goya Windsurfing) in the next round after the New Caledonian sent Francesco Cappuzzo (RRD / RRD Sails / AL360) packing.Anton

Antony Ruenes

Rick Jendrusch (Severne) enjoyed a fine day on the water as he staged a late comeback against Jamie Howard (JP) to setup a duel against Nicolas Akgazciyan (99NoveNove / Challenger Sails / Maui Ultra Fins), which needed a resail to decide the winner. In the first effort it was almost too windy with both sailors wildly out of control but in the resail the wind dropped and an enthralling battle followed with both pulling out all the stops. However, it as the young Dutchman who gained the upper hand with a powerful and fluid display to cause an upset. Jendrusch looked absolutely delighted upon hearing the result, while Akgazciyan cut a deflated figure. The 22-year-old will now face Sam Esteve (JP / NeilPryde) after the Frenchman cut Davy Scheffers (Tabou / GA Sails) comeback short.

Rick Jendrusch

Youp Schmit (99NoveNove / Avanti) dispatched of Johnny Yagen (RRD / RRD Sails) in his opening heat of the day with a powerful display, but then saw his comeback in the double halted by Balz Müller (Patrik / Severne), who learned from his mistakes on the opening day to sail a solid heat while still bringing his own unique, radical approach to the table as he landed a sick tweaked pushloop and a shifty to set up a tie against Taty Frans (Starboard / GA Sails / Mystic).

Balz Müller

Frans began his comeback today, after a shock second round exit in the single and he eased his way past Loick Spicher (RRD / RRD Sails) in his first heat, before edging past Italy’s Mattia Fabrizi (Patrik / Sailloft Hamburg) in Heat 38b - who failed to complete his score sheet on port tack and missed out by just over 10 points.

Taty Frans

Heat 40b saw an extremely tight tussle between Tonky Frans (RRD / RRD Sails) and Giovanni Passani (Tabou / GA Sails), but in the end, it was Frans who sneaked through with the Italian missing a move on starboard tack. In the opening stages of the heat, Frans landed the biggest jump of the contest so far as he executed a massive stalled forward. The Boanirean will now face Philip Soltysiak (Starboard / Sailworks), who sailed well in the howling winds to see off the challenge of Adrian Beholz (Patrik / Sailloft Hamburg / Maui Ultra Fins).

Tonky Frans

The forecast looks promising again for tomorrow and the sailors will meet again at 10:30am for the skippers’ meeting - with the action commencing from 11am (GMT+1) onwards. Make sure you tune into www.pwaworldtour.com to watch all of the explosive action as it happens via the PWA live stream.

To stay up to date with all the latest developments from Fuerteventura — including the live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page.

The penultimate day of the freestyle in Fuerteventura saw more explosive action as the men’s double elimination was completed, while the second single elimination of the women’s was also finished. Today saw so many incredibly close heats in the men’s division to show that almost anyone on their day is capable of beating anyone else. However, by the end of Day 4 the men’s competition has been completed and it is Gollito Estredo (Fanatic / NorthSails), who makes a winning start to the year with another incredibly stylish display, while Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) remains on course for a 10th PWA Freestyle World Championship.

Victory Jump - Jose 'Gollito' Estredo

Women’s

Single Elimination II

Winners’ Final

Sarah-Quita Offringa and Maaike Huvermann (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) lined up for their second duel of the week in the winners’ Final. Huvermann is gradually bridging the gap between herself and Offringa as she landed shuvit spocks, regular konos and also sailed away from a culo. However, Offringa remains in a league of her own with the style and execution with which she executes her moves and deservedly maintains her perfect record.

Sarah-Quita Offringa

Arrianne Aukes (Fanatic / NorthSails / Maui Ultra Fins) posted her highest total contest so far in the semifinals, but unfortunately, she was up against Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins). However, Aukes carried that rich vein of form into the battle for 3rd and 4th place to take down Oda Johanne (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) to claim the final place on the podium.

Arrianne Aukes

Men’s

A Bitter Sweet Victory

Yentel Caers (JP / Point-7) fought his way back onto the podium as the young Belgian produced a couple of magnificent performances to firstly defeat fellow Steven Van Broeckhoven (JP / NeilPryde / Shamal Sunglasses) in a heat almost too close to call, before exacting revenge against Italy’s Jacopo Testa (RRD / RRD Sails / AL360). However, that victory came at a serious cost with the 22-year-old being forced to retire before facing Amado Vrieswijk (JP / Severne) after injuring his foot upon landing a shifty. Caers thought that he’d broken his leg, but initial reports suggest that that is not the case, but he will be getting fully checked out this evening. Everyone wishes Yentel a speedy and successful recovery.

Man down - Yentel Caers

Testa will be disappointed to have lost his place on the podium, butstill walks away from the opening event of the year with his best ever result on the PWA World Tour.

Jacopo Testa

With Caers forced to withdraw, Vrieswijk and Gollito Estredo lined up for a repeat of the single elimination winners’ final. Vrieswijk came into the Fuerte as the reigning event champion, but in order to successfully defend his title, he would have to beat Gollito twice.

Amado Vrieswijk

Gollito versus Vrieswijk is turning into the biggest rivalry in freestyle windsurfing and both sailors continue to raise the level as they continually push each other. The two of them produced another scintillating final today, but despite his best efforts, the Bonairean couldn’t deny the Venezuelan the opening victory of the season as the 7-time freestyle world champion makes the perfect start to his title defence. Both landed some massive moves with backloops,pushloops, air chachoos being thrown down as well as some crazy combos, but crucially Gollito exited his maneuvers cleanly, while Vrieswijk was left counting a wet air kabikuchi, while he couldn’t quite land his double air culo. So, it is advantage Gollito in the race for either 9 world titles or 1 world title.

The forecast looks windy again for tomorrow, which should see an exciting finale to the second women’s double elimination, while we will also be holding a big move contest for the men. The sailors will meet again tomorrow morning for the skippers’ meeting at 10:30am(GMT+1) - registration for the big move contest will be between 10:30-11am. The first possible start for tomorrow will be 11am. Make sure you tune into www.pwaworldtour.com to watch all of the explosive action as it happens via the PWA live stream.

To stay up to date with all the latest developments from Fuerteventura — including the live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page.

The final day of the Freestyle at the 2017 Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam produced one of the most exciting women’s freestyle finals in history as Maaike Huvermann (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) pushed Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) all the way. However, the 19-year-old couldn’t quite do enough to prevent Offringa from winning as the Aruban continues to rewrite the history books - after enduring an emotional rollercoaster of a week.

Over the last 5 days Huvermann has grown in confidence with each heat she has sailed and today she gave Offringa, who was understandably nervous prior to the final, a real run for her money. The two ladies produced quite possibly the best women’s freestyle final ever seen with the lead continually changing hands as they traded blows throughout. Huvermann deserves massive credit for the way in which she put the 26-year-old under pressure - landing shuvit spocks, regular konos and most impressively a powerful culo to not give Offringa an inch of breathing space. However, despite not producing her usual flawless routine, Offringa dug deep as she called upon her champion winning qualities to produce a few moments of magic - with the best being a perfect burner - but the tie still hung in the balance with Huvermann landing a puneta just before the buzzer. Both women were forced to wait on the beach for the decision, which must have felt like a lifetime, but eventually it was announced that Offringa had held on to win by just 1.2 points and with it, she continues to rewrite the history books as she claims her 10th Freestyle world title - 13th overall.

Overcome with emotion - Sarah-Quita Offringa

Sarah-Quita Offringa on sailing under the pressure of trying to capture World Title No.10 and making it a reality: “It was a really tough week mentally for me. Everybody is quite supportive of me here but also make it sound like it's guaranteed like I'll win. Which isn't the case. I still have to go out and do it. I think that built up into more pressure than usual combined with the fact that I could win ten titles. Which is a nice number no? so I guess also some pressure from myself because I did want it pretty bad. So the hardest part was keeping my emotions in check and to sail without thinking too much about the future. Normally I want to put down a really good heat but this week I was more focused on sailing good enough to pass the heats. So, I sailed well everyday I think but also quite reserved. Then in the final I could mostly hear cheering for Maaike which is understandable but threw me off guard I guess.Anyway I watched her sailing and she sails with much more confidence and has been able to put together some amazing heats! Especially after she injured herself at the beginning of the year… I think it's amazing she came back like that. Massive congrats to her, Oda and Arrianne for finishing in the Top 4. These were some of the toughest Fuerte conditions I've competed in and I think we put up a great show.”

A nervous wait ends with all smiles for Sarah-Quita Offringa - La Decima

Huvermann can walk away with her head held high after coming so close to becoming the first person to beat Offringa in a freestyle heat for 9 years and the 19-year-old ends the year as the vice-world champion for the second year in a row and with another year of training under her belt it looks as though she would have a realistic shot at the title.

Maaike Huvermann

Oda Johanne completes the podium again after successfully coming back to defeat Arrianne Aukes (Fanatic / NorthSails / Maui Ultra Fins) in the second double elimination today, which means the Norwegian has now finished in the world’s top for the last 4 years running.

Friends in the Face of Competition - Oda Johanne & Arrianne Aukes

Meanwhile, Aukes finishes in a solid 4th place ahead of Olya Raskina (JP / NeilPryde), who won 3 consecutive heats to climb up to 5th place for the year after defeating Hanna Poschinger (Patrik / Sailloft Hamburg), Clare Elliot (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins) and Birgit Rieger (Flikka).

Arrianne Aukes

Slalom Preview Recap

After 5 days of freestyle the world’s fastest sailors will take their turn in the windsurfing spotlight for their 4th battle of the year. Last year Fuerte produced some of the best racing ever seen and by the looks of the forecast the wind machine should continue to do its thing meaning the next 5 days should be as exciting as ever.

Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde) heads up the rankings coming into Fuerteventura after a great start to the season which saw him claim a convincing victory in Costa Brava and a 3rd place in Japan. The 23-time world champion was untouchable here last year as he tamed Fuerte’s ferocious winds and choppy waters to claim an emphatic victory and he’ll be looking to win his 4th successive event title over the next 5 days.

Antoine Albeau

Reigning world champion - Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Point-7 / Shamal Sunglasses) - and vice-world champion - Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / NorthSails / Chopper Fins) - are currently tied on points in 2nd and 3rd and will be eager not lose any more ground to Albeau - otherwise it would look like a long way back to prevent AA from marching to a 24th world crown. Iachino looked slightly off the pace in Costa Brava and was delighted to make the podium so it will be interesting to see if he has found the formula to unlock the blistering pace he has shown in the last few seasons.

Matteo Iachino

Ross Williams (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic / Shamal Sunglasses) has an excellent record here over the last couple of seasons with a 2nd and a 3rd and the Brit comes into Fuerte perfectly poised in 4th place and ready to challenge for the overall podium again. Williams is usually one of the most consistent sailors and will be hoping to complete a hat-trick of podiums come the end of the event.

Ross Williams

Finian Maynard (99NoveNove / Gun Sails) won here in 2012 and he is seeing his hard work over the winter pay dividends already this season. The 42-year-old shred 10 kilos during the off season and has been rewarded with a 4th place in Japan, while a 13th place in Costa Brava sees him currently sitting in 5th place. If everything clicks into place then Maynard could well emulate the success which brought him that event title in 2012.

Finian Maynard

Argentina’s Gonzalo Costa Hoevel (Starboard / Severne / Chopper Fins) has been very consistent so far this season with 8th and 11th place finishes and with a little more look things could’ve been even better. However, Costa Hoevel didn’t enjoy Fuerte last year as he recorded a disappointing 21st place and he’ll be keen to put those memories behind him.

Gonzalo Costa Hoevel

Julien Quentel (Patrik / Avanti) went from hero to zero in the blink of the eye as he experienced the highs and lows of racing. The man from Saint Maarten sailed brilliantly to win in Japan, but then had a bit of a shocker in Costa Brava where he could only muster a 20th place. Quentel comes into the event 7th in overalls. Can he recapture that form from Japan?

Julien Quentel

France’s Antoine Questel (Starboard / S2Maui) sits in 8th place just ahead of Jordy Vonk (Fanatic / NorthSails) - who is another sailor to have produced in different performances. The 24-year-old earned his first ever podium in Japan before recording a disappointing 21st in Spain.

Of course, there are a whole host of other sailors who are more than capable of breaking into the top 10 and as we have seen already this season there really are no easy heats and almost anyone has the potential to book their place in the winners’ final.

To stay up to date with all the latest developments from Fuerteventura — including the live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page.

For the 6th consecutive day, Fuerteventura delivered howling winds, which saw the men reaching for their 5.2m-5.6m sails and small boards as many of them struggled to stay in control. Over the course of the opening day of slalom, Fuerte’s death chop claimed numerous victims and will likely claim many more over the next 4 days, but one man who didn’t struggle is 23-time world champion - Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde) - who finishes the day as the clear event leader after a brilliant display.

Antoine Albeau in cruise control

Slalom

Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde) will be very happy with his opening days work in Fuerteventura after making a superb start which saw the 23-time world champion record one bullet and a solid second to take control of the event rankings from the word go. AA dominated this event here in 2016 and the early signs are that if the ferocious winds continue then he could well do the same again. Many sailors look out of control, but Albeau is making taming the choppy Fuerte waters look simple and almost effortless.

Antoine Albeau

Albeau’s two biggest rivals Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / NorthSails / Chopper Fins) and Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Point-7 / Shamal Sunglasses) both suffered earlier exits than they’d have liked the opening race with Mortefon struggling with his gybing in the semifinals and having to settle for 14th place, but the biggest upset of the day involved the reigning world champion, who was knocked out in his first heat of the event - 3rd Round. However, both bounced back in Elimination 2 to steady the ship with Mortefon securing his first bullet of the week, while Iachino finished 3rd, which leaves Mortefon 6th after Day 1, while Iachino is currently in a lowly 18th.

Pierre Mortefon hits back

As mentioned in the preview Ross Williams (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic / Shamal Sunglasses) holds an excellent record in Fuerte over the last couple of seasons and the Brit has made another strong start with a 4th and 5th place. However, it wasn’t all plain sailing for Williams after going down at the opening mark in his second semifinal, but he did brilliantly to fight his way back as he somehow avoided Pascal Toselli (99NoveNove / Loft Sails / Chopper Fins) who went down at the last, to book his place in another winners’ final.

Ross Williams

Julien Quentel (Patrik / Avanti) has had moments of brilliance - winning in Japan - mixed with moments of mediocracy - Costa Brava - but today he was back to somewhere near his best which sees him complete the current event top 3. The 30-year-old finished second in the opening race before limiting the damage after narrowly missing out on the winners’ final by winning Heat 15 to claim 9th.

Julien Quentel

Both Ben van der Steen (Patrik / Gun Sails) and Cedric Bordes (Tabou / GA Sails) have made much needed excellent starts to the event as they currently languish 20th and 25th in the overall rankings when you’d really expect to see them pushing for the top 10 and beyond. At the close of play on day one they sit in 4th and 5th place respectively after qualifying for both winners’ finals.

Brazil’s Gabriel Browne (Goya Windsurfing / Point-7) made a flying start in the opening race as he clinched a superb 3rd place but then suffered a quarterfinal exit to finish Day 1 of the slalom 10th overall.

The forecast looks like the wind could be slightly lighter tomorrow, which many may consider to be a blessing after a brutal first day. The skippers’ meeting has been called for 10am tomorrow morning with the action commencing from 11am (GMT+1) onwards. Make sure you tune into www.pwaworldtour.com to follow all of the racing as it happens via the PWA live stream.

To stay up to date with all the latest developments from Fuerteventura — including the live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page.

Despite the lighter wind forecast, the world’s fastest sailors were still left reaching for their 5.2-6.2s as the wind continued to blow on Day 7 of the Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam - all be it from a much more offshore direction. After patiently waiting throughout the morning the wind finally stabilised around 1pm to allow a further two eliminations to be completed.

Overnight leader Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde) could’ve been out of sight by the end of the second day after the 23-time world champion secured another bullet in the opening race of the day, but his over early in the next elimination leaves the door slightly open for Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Point-7 / Shamal Sunglasses), who staged the biggest comeback of the day.

Matteo Iachino fights back

Slalom

Men’s

Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde) picked up where he left off yesterday as he dominated again to claim his second bullet in 3 races and it looked as though AA was in danger of completely running away with the competition even at this early stage. Albeau then comfortably qualified for the next Winners’ Final again - winning both his quarterfinal and semifinal - but then jumped the gun in the final to be disqualified meaning he received an 8th place - which he instantly discards - but it does open the door ever so slightly, while keeping the event interesting, with his lead cut to 5.6 points.

Antoine Albeau leads the way

Ross Williams (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic / Shamal Sunglasses) and Julien Quentel (Patrik / Avanti) both slip one place to 3rd and 4th respectively. Both sailors made the opening winners’ final before being eliminated in the quarterfinals of Elimination 4 - which is the first time this week. that Williams has missed out on Heat 16, but he remains on course for his 3rd consecutive Fuerte podium as things stand.

Ross Williams

Movers of the Day

Matteo Iachino started the day in 18th place after a disastrous first race yesterday when he was eliminated in the 3rd round, but since then the Italian has shown the sort of form you would expect from a reigning world champion with a 3rd, 2nd and 4th in his last 3 races. With the discard coming into play after the 4th elimination, Iachino flies up with rankings from 18th to 2nd and he’s now Antoine Albeau’s closest contender.

Iachino keeps Albeau in Crosshairs

Taty Frans (Starboard / GA Sails / Mystic) is another man on the move as he climbs 6 places from 11th to 5th. The Bonairean was eliminated in the quarterfinals of Elimination 1 after misplacing his feet while gybing when in the qualifying positions, but since then he’s hardly put a foot wrong - subsequently qualifying for each Winners’ Final since and progressively getting better with 7th, 6th and 2nd place finishes.

Taty Frans man on the move

Hot ’n’ Cold

Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / NorthSails / Chopper Fins) began day 2 of the slalom with a less than ideal start as the current vice-world champion crashed out in the quarterfinals. The 27-year-old bounced back from a slow start yesterday and did the same again today as he claimed a crucial bullet in Elimination 4 to keep himself in contention - remaining in 6th at the close of play - but you’d have to feel he can’t afford any more slip-ups now.

Pierre Mortefon keeps himself in contention with late charge

Cedric Bordes (Tabou / GA Sails) had a disappointing start to the season, but the Frenchman seems to have recaptured his best form here after qualifying for every Winners’ Final so far, which leaves him in 7th place at the moment, while fellow countryman Pascal Toselli (99NoveNove / Loft Sails) has steadily improved - finishing today with an excellent 3rd in Elimination 4 - which sees him rise to 8th in the current event rankings.

While racing in high winds is often classed as the pinnacle of slalom, it of course has its dangers and unfortunately today those risks became apparent with PWA Youth World Champion - Ethan Westera (Tabou / GA Sails) - being involved in a high speed racing collision, which resulted in the 19-year-old being taken to hospital before undergoing an operation to reattach the tendons in his lower leg. Ethan is said to be fine, but disappointed to have had his competition cut short and everyone from the PWA would like to wish Ethan a speedy and successful recovery and we hope to see him back competing soon.

Ethan Westera

The forecast looks as though the wind will be light in the morning before kicking in again in the afternoon, so the skippers’ meeting has been called for 11am with a first possible start of 11:30am (GMT+1). Make sure you tune into www.pwaworldtour.com to follow all of the racing as it happens via the PWA live stream.

To stay up to date with all the latest developments from Fuerteventura — including the live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page.

For a long time today it looked as though there may be no racing on Day 8 of the Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam - sponsored by René Egli - with light onshore winds for much of the day. However, the wind did eventually swing offshore and filled in late to produce an exciting evening of racing in 20-25 knots of wind, which saw most sailors reaching for their 7.0s-8.0s.

Ross Williams leading the way

Slalom

Men’s

Ross Williams (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic / Shamal Sunglasses) looked be in fine form today as he won both his quarterfinal and semifinal and the Brit carried that blistering form into the winners’ final as he secured his first bullet of the week, which cements his 3rd place in the current rankings while also bringing him into event title contention. Williams is now 5.3 points behind Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde) with two days to go.

Ross Williams takes abullet

Albeau still holds a healthy lead at the top of the rankings, but has seen his advantage greatly reduced from the opening day. AA finished 4th in today’s final, while reigning world champion Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Point-7 / Shamal Sunglasses) continued his excellent form as the Italian claimed 2nd place, which sees him close to within 3.6 points of Albeau.

Antoine Albeau

Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / NorthSails / Chopper Fins) missed out on the winners’ final for the 3rd time in 5 races, but still rises two places - 6th to 4th - in the current rankings after the Frenchman won Heat 15 to finish 9th in Elimination 5. Mortefon could still make the podium as he has also won two races, but he’ll need to make no further mistakes and for the second discard to come into play in order to do so.

Pierre Mortefon

Pascal Toselli (99NoveNove / Loft Sails / Chopper Fins) has recovered brilliantly since a disappointing showing in the opening race of the week and the Frenchman rises to 5th place, from 8th, in the current rankings after another excellent 3rd place today.

Pascal Toselli

Coming into today Cedric Bordes (Tabou / GA Sails) had qualified for every winners’ final so far, but unfortunately he lost his perfect record today as he failed to progress from Heat 13. The Frenchman had the potential to advance from the semifinal as he rounded the opening buoy in second place, but a sloppy second gybe cost him dearly. Bordes is still enjoying by far his best event of the season and currently occupies 6th place.

Cederic Bordes

Taty Frans (Starboard / GA Sails / Mystic) falls two places to 7th after being eliminated in the quarterfinals. The Bonairean was comfortably qualifying for the semifinals but ended up in the drink at the third mark and despite his best efforts he couldn’t quite fight his way back into the qualifying positions.

Taty Frans

Julien Quentel (Patrik / Avanti) and Cyril Moussilmani (99NoveNove / Severne) both had days to forget with Quentel suffering a shock second round exit, while Moussilmani was eliminated in the next round. However, they remain in 8th and 9th place.

Julien Quentel

Ingmar Daldorf (Tabou / GA Sails) climbs one place to complete the current top 10 at the close of play with the Dutchman recording his best individual result so far, which saw the 26-year-old sail superbly to secure 5th place in Elimination 5.

Ingmar Daldorf

Marco Lang (Fanatic / NorthSails) continues to recover from a slow first day when the Austrian was ill and has climbed back into the top 16 after qualifying for his first winners’ final of the week to finish 6th today. That place in the winners’ final came at the expense of teammate Jordy Vonk (Fanatic / NorthSails), who dropped his gybe at the third buoy when his first winners’ final of the week beckoned as well, so the Dutchman had to settle for 11th place today - 14th overall.

Marco Lang

The forecast doesn’t look that great for tomorrow with slightly less wind than today being predicted and also the direction looks as though it could even be slightly northwest, so we will have to wait and see what happens, but a few of the locals think it will be similar to today. The skippers’ meeting has been called for 11am tomorrow morning with the action commencing from 11:30am (GMT+1) onwards. Make sure you tune into www.pwaworldtour.com to follow all of the racing as it happens via the PWA live stream.

To stay up to date with all the latest developments from Fuerteventura — including the live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page.

For the most part the penultimate day of the 2017 Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam - sponsored by René Egli - saw more scintillating action as the wind continued to howl for the 9th day in a row, however, the days racing became somewhat insignificant with Taty Frans (Starboard / GA Sails / Mystic) and Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / NorthSails / Chopper Fins) involved in a serious crash, which resulted in Frans being rushed to hospital - the second sailor this week after Ethan Westera (Tabou / GA Sails) was injured on Day 3.

A Near Miss

Unfortunately during the final heat of the day - Winners’ Final of Elimination 7 - a serious crash occurred between Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / NorthSails / Chopper Fins) and Taty Frans (Starboard / GA Sails / Mystic) as the pack approached the first mark in winds exceeding 40 knots, which resulted in Frans needing urgent medical attention, while it is a miracle that Mortefon survived the potentially fatal crash unscathed. Thankfully, both sailors are said to be fine. Frans was initially feared to require an operation but the latest developments suggest that the Bonairean only requires stitches, while Mortefon has experienced pain in his back and foot, while obviously been shocked by the crash.

The moment that had everyone's hearts in their mouths

Final Day

3 in the Mix

For the first time in this event Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde) lost the No.1 spot after a semifinal exit in Elimination 6, which was eventually won by Ross Williams (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic / Shamal Sunglasses) as the Brit claimed back-to-back bullets. However, reigning world champion - Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Point-7 / Shamal Sunglasses) assumed control of the event after securing second place.

Ross Williams

At this point Williams trailed Iachino by just 0.4 of a point, while Albeau was only 2.4 points behind and there’d be more drama to follow in Elimination 7 as Iachino was eliminated from the first semifinal to leave the door open for Williams.

Matteo Iachino

However, with the Winners’ Final seemingly at his mercy Williams span out upon exiting his final gybe and would end up in the drink alongside Sebastian Kördel (Starboard / GA Sails).

Missed opportunity for Williams

Unfortunately, as previously mentioned the Winners’ Final was overshadowed, but Julien Quentel (Patrik / Avanti) came out on top, while Albeau secured second place to reassert himself at the top of the event rankings heading into the final day.

Albeau battles back

The skippers’ meeting has been called for 10am tomorrow morning with the action commencing from 10:30am (GMT+1) onwardsMake sure you tune into www.pwaworldtour.com to follow all of the racing as it happens via the PWA live stream.

To stay up to date with all the latest developments from Fuerteventura — including the live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page.

There was almost an anticlimax to the slalom, after an otherwise amazing 5 days of racing, as the wind looked as though it may disappear before the finals could be completed. However, thankfully, the wind machine burst back into life after a slight blip to allow one more elimination to be completed.

Slalom

Men's

Elimination 8

Coming into the final day the top three - Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde), Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Point-7 / Shamal Sunglasses) and Ross Williams (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic / Shamal Sunglasses) - were separated by just 4 points, but in order for Iachino or Williams to have a chance of winning they would need Albeau to finish outside the top 4.

Albeau in command

However, Albeau has won here almost every year since 2006. In fact he has been so dominant that he has only been denied by Finian Maynard (99NoveNove / Gun Sails) in 2012 and when there was no slalom in 2013 and he continued that dominance today as he signed off in style by winning the 8th elimination to be crowned the champion again.

Antoine Albeau

Reigning world champion - Matteo Iachino finishes in second with Williams completing the podium just ahead of Ross Williams.

Matteo Iachino

Elsewhere in the final elimination of the week - Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / NorthSails / Chopper Fins) put yesterday’s crash behind him to secure 4th place, while Tristan Algret (Starboard / Severne / Mystic / Chopper Fins) rounded off the event with his best performance as he finished the winners’ final in 3rd place.

Pierre Mortefon

Maciek Rutkowski (Tabou / GA Sails) also signed off the week with his best performance - after a lacklustre couple of days - as he won the losers’ final to finish in 9th place, while Julien Quentel (Patrik / Avanti) bounced back from the disappointment of being pipped to the last qualifying place into the winners’ final by Cedric Bordes (Tabou / GA Sails) to secure 10th - which sees him finish 5th overall - after Sebastian Kördel (Starboard / GA Sails) dropped his final gybe in Heat 15.

Maciek Rutkowski heads in

The prize giving was held around 4pm to bring down the curtain on another superb installment of the Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam. Full event summary to follow on Tuesday.

To stay up to date with all the latest developments from Fuerteventura — including the live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page.

Fuerteventura more than lived up to its reputation again as the 2017 Fuerteventura PWA Grand Slam - sponsored by René Egli - saw 10 days of 25-45 knot winds to provide an amazing natural arena for the freestyle and racing. Over the course of the event we saw more than our fair share of explosive action and close quarter sailing, and unfortunately, there were a few injuries along the way, but overall the highs certainly outweighed the lows.

Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard / NeilPryde / Maui Ultra Fins) overcame a mental as much as a physical battle to secure an incredible 10th PWA Freestyle World Title - 13th overall. In the final of the second double elimination, against Maaike Huvermann (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra Fins), Offringa didn’t quite produce her usual flawless display, but in the end, she just did enough and looked absolutely delighted and relieved at the same time when the result was made official.

Sarah-Quita Offringa

Maaike Huvermann finishes the season as the vice-world champion again with the 19-year-old sailing her best heats yet on the world tour as she looks to continue to raise her game and dethrone Offringa. She will have to wait another year to have that opportunity again, but she is definitely edging closer.

Maaike Huvermann

Oda Johanne (Starboard / Severne / Maui Ultra) had some hot and cold heats, but when she was on she looked to be in fine form and that deservedly sees the Norwegian secure her place on the overall podium for the 4th consecutive year.

Oda Johanne

Meanwhile, Arrianne Aukes (Fanatic / NorthSails) completes the top 4 with another excellent showing, which saw the 30-year-old finish 3rd in the second single elimination, but she couldn’t defend her place against Johanne in the double.

Arrianne Aukes

Men’s

Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo (Fanatic / NorthSails) returned to the top of the podium in Fuerte after producing an inspired display to defeat Amado Vrieswijk (JP / Severne) and with just one more stop to go, Gollito has taken a massive step towards world title No.8. The Venezuelan produced his usual blend of power and style, while also landing new moves to keep Vrieswijk at bay.

Gollito Estredo

Vrieswijk won here last year but fell just short on this occasion. In the single elimination, it could’ve easily been the Bonairean who had come out on top, but his bongka was adjudged to be out of the competition area, which meant he was missing a move on port tack. The current vice-world champion is still firmly in the mix to challenge for the world title.

Amado Vrieswijk

Yentel Caers (JP / NeilPryde) won the battle for 3rd and 4th against Italy’s Jacopo Testa (RRD / RRD Sails / AL360), but that victory came at a cost with the Belgian injuring his leg after landing a shifty, which forced his withdrawal from the competition. Caers will now hope to be back in time for Sylt at the end of September as he looks to defend his place on the prestigious podium.

Yentel Caers

Jacopo Testa appears to be starting to fill his potential and the Italian walks away from Fuerte with his best result on the PWA Freestyle World Tour.

Jacopo Testa

Elsewhere, Steven van Broeckhoven fought his way back in the double elimination to begin the year with an excellent 5th place, which betters all of his results from last year.

Steven van Broeckhoven

Adrien Bosson (Fanatic / NorthSails / Maui Ultra Fins) was able to defeat fellow countryman Antony Ruenes (Tabou / GA Sails) to progress into the top 6 but saw his hopes ended by van Broeckhoven in the next heat.

Antoine Albeau (RRD / NeilPryde) continued his dominance in Fuerteventura as he secured the event victory in style by winning the final elimination of the week, which means he has now won here in 10 out of the last 12 years. Albeau looks to be back to his absolute best and 100% happy with his setup and world title No.24 is within sight as AA heads up the rankings with a record of two victories and a 3rd out of the 3 events where results have been obtained.

Antoine Albeau

Matteo Iachino (Starboard / Point-7 / Shamal) endured a terrible first elimination here which saw the reigning world champion eliminated in his opening heat, but he then bounced back by not finishing outside the top 4 in all but one of the further 7 eliminations completed, which earned him 2nd place here, which sees him rise to 2nd in the overall rankings.

Matteo Iachino

Ross Williams (Tabou / GA Sails / Mystic / Shamal Sunglasses) held an excellent record coming into Fuerte having made the podium here for the last two years and he showed why again with an extremely consistent performance, which also saw the Brit win back-to-back bullets in races 5 and 6, which put him firmly in contention for the event title, but a semifinal exit in the next race made that an unlikely outcome, but he’ll still be very happy with his performance here as he completes the podium. The result here means Williams remains 4th in the overall rankings.

Ross Williams

Pierre Mortefon (Fanatic / NorthSails / Chopper Fins) finished just outside the top 3 in 4th, which means Mortefon currently sits 3rd in the overall rankings, but the Frenchman was lucky to escape a nasty crash in Elimination 8 with no serious injuries after a horror collision with Taty Frans.

Pierre Mortefon

Julien Quentel (Patrik / Avanti) bounced back from a disappointing showing in Costa Brava to finish 5th in Fuerteventura. The 31-year-old made a strong start to the event, but then went off the boil for a couple of races, so in the end, he did well to finish the event strongly and reassert himself in the top 5 both here and in the overall rankings.

Julien Quentel

Cedric Bordes (Tabou / GA Sails) enjoyed his best event of the season so far by quite someway and the Frenchman earns his first top 10 finish of 2017 - 6th - after qualifying for all but 3 winners’ finals. Meanwhile, fellow countrymen Cyril Moussilmani (99NoveNove / Severne) and Pascal Toselli (99NoveNove / Loft Sails / Chopper Fins) finished 7th and 8th respectively, while Antoine Questel (Starboard / S2Maui) completes the top 10 to rise to 6th overall in the world.

Cedric Bordes

Like Bordes, Ben van der Steen (Patrik / Gun Sails) also enjoyed his best result of the season - 9th - while elsewhere Enrico Marotti recorded his best result to date on the world tour as he finished in 15th place - with the Croat finishing 4th in the opening elimination.

Ben van der Steen

Road to Recovery

Of course two of the most talked about incidents of the week involve - Ethan Westera (Tabou / GA Sails) and Taty Frans - who were both unfortunately injured in racing incidents and both required hospital treatment. Thankfully, it seems that both will make a full recovery, while Pierre Mortefon somehow emerged unscathed from the crash with Frans - although the Frenchman is going for further checks just to make sure. High wind slalom produces the most exciting racing on the tour, but unfortunately, the dangers of racing at such speeds became apparent and it gives you a real appreciation of the real and apparent dangers at times. Everyone from the PWA would like to wish Ethan and Taty all the best with their recoveries.

The moment that had everyone's hearts in their mouths

So, that’s it for another fantastic year in Fuerteventura. The PWA would like to express their thanks to the organisers and sponsors and of course the people of Fuerteventura - without whom it wouldn’t be possible to run such a fantastic event and we look forward to return in 2018 for more world class windsurfing.

You can review all the news from Fuerteventura — including the live stream, elimination ladders, entry list, images and live ticker simply by clicking HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page.

Where’s Next on the PWA World Tour?

In just 5 days time the final stage of the Canaries leg of the tour will begin as the PWA Wave World Tour heads to Tenerife for the second stop of the men’s and women’s wave circuit. Make sure you tune into www.pwaworldtour.com between the 6th-12th August to watch all of the amazing action as it happens via the PWA live stream.